Operating-sheet for automatc musical instruments.



No. 707,283. Patented Aug. I9, I902.

E. S. VOTEY. OPERATING SHEET FOR AUTOMATIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

(Application filed Oct. 30, 1900.)

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No. 707,283. Patented Aug. l9, I902.

E. S. VOTEY.

OPERATING SHEET FOR AUTOMATIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

(Application filed Oct. 30, 1900.)

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-$heet 2.

O P FLUTE CLAR ONET. PASON. R

BLACK. BL E. ORHNG L-Z. fiED.

/ WITNESSES: INVETNTOR 44 fw jlf @Wd 8. Wm

QWSWM ATTORNEY m: Noam: PEYERS co. Pnoraumo. WASHINGTON. n. c

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWIN S. VOTEY, OF SUMMIT, NEWV JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THE AEOLIAN COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

OPERATING-SHEET FOR AUTOMATIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 707,283, dated August 19, 1902. Application filed October 30, 1900. Serial No. 34,917. (No model.)

To all whont it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWIN S. VorEY, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Summit, in the county of Union and State of New Jersey, have invented a certain new and useful Operating-Sheet for Automatic Musical Instruments, of which the following is a specification.

Myinvention relates to the operating-sheets used in connection with automatic musical instruments, and its object is to impart quickly and distinctly to the operator the sounding device to be used, each stop of the registers of sounding devices being represented by an easily-distinguished indication-mark of a distinct color on the said sheet. Heretofore it has been customary to indicate this by-printing the name, such as cello or diapason, in the same color on the operatingsheet. This, however, has been found to be rather awkward, as the-eye has to stop long enough to read the diiferent names. This is obviated by my invention.

Figurel shows a portion of a perforated operating-sheet such as is used in connection with automatic musical instruments embodying my invention. Fig. 2 shows a series of stops controlling the registers of sounding devices marked in colors to correspond with the indication marks on the operating sheet. Figs. 3 and 4 show the same series of stops with different indication-marks.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in the different views.

I shall describe a perforated operating-sheet adapted to be used in connection with antomatic musical instruments embodying my invention and afterward point out the novel features in the claims.

1 indicates an operating-sheet having the lengthwisely running perforations 2 and adapted to be used with a certain type of automatic musical instruments.

3 denotes red indication lines or marks; 4, blue indication lines or marks; 5, black indication lines or marks, and 6 orange-colored indication lines or marks. These lines indicate by their color the difierent registers of for instance, string tones may be indicated by marks of the color red, flute tones by means of blue marks, reed tones by means of orangecolored marks, and diapason by means of black marks. These marks or lines extend in the same direction as the lengthwise perforations, thus indicating by their length the periods of action of the sounding devices, and are, moreover, visible to the operator during the en tire period the particular sounding device is to be used. Various other combinations might be enumeratedsuch as, for instance, double lines or marks having two or more colors--but the form shown here will explain the invention sufficiently. The indication-marks might, of course, also be of any design and could further, if desired, be made ornamental in their appearance.

Should it be desired, the corresponding stops on the instrument controlling the registers of sounding devices indicated by the operating-sheet could be marked to correspond with the indication-marks on the said sheet. Thus in Fig. 2 each stop is marked with its proper name, such as clarionet or cello, in the color corresponding to the color of the indication-mark on the operating-sheet. In Fig. 3, each stop is represented as having a mark 7 on its face corresponding in color to the indication-mark on the operating-sheet. This mark 7 is here represented as a round figure; but in its place may be used a dash or staror some other suitable mark of a color corresponding to the indication-marks on the said operating-sheet. Instead of the indication-marks shown the entire face of the stop might be of a distinctive color with its name printed in white or black, or any other indication means might be used. It is also evident that instead of indicating the periods of action of the registers of sounding devices on the operating-sheet by means of colored marks and the periods of inaction by gaps between the marks the order might be reversed and the differently-colored marks made continuous throughout the whole length of the said sheet with gaps to denote the periods of action. By means of my invention the untrained as well as the trained musician will be very much aided in distinguishing quickly and ICO without great efiort the different registers of sounding devices indicated on the operating sheet from each other.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. As a new article of manufacture, an operating-sheet for automatic musical instruments provided withaplurality of soundingdevice denoting-lines, each of a distinct color, and each of a variably-predetermined length, indicating by its length the period of action of the sounding device it represents.

2. In an automatic musicalinstrument, the combination with the stops of same, controlling each a register of sounding devices, of an operating-sheet having a plurality of indication-lines, each of a distinct color and each of a variably-predetermined length, each of said lines denoting, by its color, a particular stop to be opened for a certain register of sounding devices, and, by its length, the period of action of such stop.

3. In an automatic musical instrument, the combination with an operating-sheet, having a plurality of indication-lines, each of a distinct color, and of variably-predetermined lengths, of a plurality of stops on the instrument, colored to correspond with the colored lines on the sheet, the period of action of such stop being denoted by the length of its correspondingly-colored line.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, this 23d day of October, A. D. 1900.

EDWIN S. VOTEY. Witnesses:

OWEN WARD, CLARENCE R. COMES. 

